Fox's 'Swedish defense and national security adviser' unknown to Sweden
Days after Trump's 'last night in Sweden' remark, The O'Reilly Factor presented guest Nils Bildt on screen as a Swedish defense and national security adviser, and he backed claims that asylum seekers had driven up crime in Sweden.
The mislabeled guest lent official-sounding authority to Trump's claims about immigration and crime in Sweden.
What was reported
Days after Trump's 'last night in Sweden' remark, The O'Reilly Factor presented guest Nils Bildt on screen as a Swedish defense and national security adviser, and he backed claims that asylum seekers had driven up crime in Sweden.
What actually happened
Sweden's defense ministry and foreign ministry told reporters they had never heard of him and that he had never worked for the government or armed forces. Swedish press reported he had emigrated to the U.S. in 1994 and changed his name. Bildt himself said a Fox producer chose the title and that he was an independent U.S.-based analyst. Fox's executive producer defended the booking process rather than the title.
The proof
Statements from Sweden's Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry that Bildt had no government or military role, and Bildt's own account that Fox chose the title.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
Fox's 'Swedish defense and national security adviser' unknown to Sweden — Debunked. Statements from Sweden's Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry that Bildt had no government or military role, and Bildt's own account that Fox chose the title. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/fox-oreilly-fake-swedish-security-adviser/
Original reporting
- The Intercept: Fox News interview with 'expert' baffles Swedes (describes the segment; secondary)https://theintercept.com/2017/02/25/fox-news-interview-fake-expert-sweden-baffles-swedes
Corrections, findings & records
- CNN Money: Fox News guest billed as Swedish adviser unknown to Swedish governmenthttps://money.cnn.com/2017/02/27/media/fox-news-guest-sweden-bill-oreilly/index.html
- Christian Science Monitor: Why did Fox host a Swedish security commentator unknown in Sweden?https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2017/0226/Why-did-a-Fox-News-program-host-a-Swedish-national-security-commentator-who-is-unknown-in-Sweden
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: The Intercept: Fox News interview with 'expert' baffles Swedes (describes the segment; secondary)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://theintercept.com/2017/02/25/fox-news-interview-fake-expert-sweden-baffles-swedes